Personal Development

The Personal Development (sometimes referred to as PSHEE) Department aims to enhance and embody the Jewish Life and ethos of the school. It aims to make cross-curricular links with the wider Jewish life in the school and work closely with the Social Action Programme, developing social action projects encouraging pupils who will learn to positively contribute as good citizens in the world.

The aim of Personal Development education is to help pupils understand and value themselves as individuals and as responsible and caring members of society. We want our pupils to like themselves and to feel confident. To this end we will:

Promote a healthy lifestyle

Prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life

Offer our pupils the opportunities to achieve their physical, psychological and social potential

Promote attitudes and behaviour which contribute to personal, family and community relationships

Promote positive attitudes towards equal opportunities and life in a multi-cultural society by dealing sensitively with varying values, cultures and religious beliefs

Encourage the development of personal skills that enable pupils and young people to function successfully as members of society.

Ensure that pupils are able to understand and respond to risk, for example risks associated with extremism, new technology, substance misuse, knives and gangs, personal relationships and personal safety.

Social, moral, spiritual, cultural (SMSC) education is integral to our Personal Development programme. It pervades the whole of our teaching and learning; the ethos and life of our college, including the Preparatory School. Within SMSC, our aims are to:

To develop self-esteem and confidence in our pupils.

Enable pupils to understand what is right and wrong in their school life and life outside school.

Ensure pupils can accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative and contribute to the school, local and wider communities.

Allow pupils to take part in a range of activities requiring social skills, develop leadership skills, take on and discharge efficiently roles and responsibilities, offer help and learn to be reliable.

Provide pupils with knowledge and understanding to support their ability to reflect on beliefs, values and more profound aspects of human experience, use their imagination and creativity, and develop curiosity in their learning

Help pupils understand and appreciate the range of different cultures in British society and develop the skills and attitudes to enable them to take a full and active part in it